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Senators rule that Trump’s second impeachment trial is constitutional and will go ahead. Plus, a Texas lawyer gets trapped in a Zoom cat filter

From a 100-year flood to a chemical leak, the state has approached its challenges the same way – and now that method has helped to distribute 81% of available vaccines

The new president has rolled back and reviewed Trump’s policies, but activists say Biden must do more as Ice attempts to violate guidelinesDespite Joe Biden’s promise to reverse his predecessor’s immigration policies, Ijeoma “Golden” Kouadio is increasingly fearful Biden won’t rescue her family’s suspended American dream.In 2019, Kouadio’s family won the diversity visa lottery, which is meant to increase the diversity of immigrants to the US. But just before their visa interviews, Donald Trump implemented an immigration ban that runs through 31 March. If the president doesn’t step in, Kouadio’s family will lose their visas. Continue reading...

Former president spent past three weeks at Mar-a-Lago resort and shunned golf course on Tuesday for trial coverage

After nearly four hours of debate, a divided US Senate voted 56 to 44 to proceed with the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House Democrats opened the trial with a chilling and dramatic video of the Capitol siege. The House impeachment managers warned that allowing Trump to escape punishment would establish a ‘January exception’ for presidents to betray their oaths of office. In their rebuttal, Trump’s defence team argued that the trial was not only unconstitutional but would 'open up new and bigger wounds across the nation' and was based on the Democrats not wanting 'to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future'

Gen Z – or zoomers – have taken to belittling millennials over everything from their hairstyles and skinny jeans to how they use emoji. Meanwhile, Gen Xers wryly observe the strife

Banks now tackle diverse issues, be it Covid-19, climate change or inequality. Purists may disagree but there’s no other optionWe are used to thinking about the remit of central banks as focusing narrowly on price stability, or at most as targeting inflation while ensuring the smooth operation of the payment system. But with the global financial crisis of 2008 and now Covid-19, we have seen central banks intervening to support a growing range of markets and activities, using instruments that extend well beyond interest rates and open market operations.An example is the US Federal Reserve’s Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility, under which the Fed provides liquidity to lenders who extend loans to small businesses in pandemic-related distress. This, clearly, is not your mother’s central bank. Continue reading...

Senators and reportedly Trump himself voice displeasure with performances from Bruce Castor and David SchoenThe performance of Donald Trump’s legal team on the first day of his second impeachment trial has drawn sharp criticism from Republican senators and other onlookers, many of whom appeared unimpressed by the at times rambling and incoherent opening statements.Two members of the former president’s legal team, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, sought on Tuesday to persuade the Senate to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds. Castor’s performance in particular drew criticism as waffling and lacking in focus. Continue reading...

This is the full edited video montage from the Capitol insurrection that Democrats presented during Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial on 9 February 2021, as part of their evidence alleging the former president incited the mob Continue reading...

State has seen 44,494 fatalities as of Tuesday as it averages 450 deaths a day, with Los Angeles hit hardestCalifornia is set to surpass New York as the US state with the most coronavirus deaths, a grim reminder of the pandemic’s toll even as the vaccine rollout and a dramatic drop in new cases offer hope that life will eventually return to normal.Fatalities from Covid-19 reached 44,494 on Tuesday in California, the most populous US state. In New York, which was particularly hard hit in the pandemic’s early days, the total death toll stood at 44,969 on Tuesday. Continue reading...

California attack comes amid warnings from advocates about rising violence against Asian communities in the USAuthorities have arrested a man who was allegedly caught on video shoving a 91-year-old Asian man to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown, an incident that sparked outrage across the US. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's second impeachment trial opened in the Senate with graphic video of the attack on the Capitol on 6 January and his comments that spurred a rally crowd to become a mob.The lead House prosecutor told senators the case would present 'cold, hard facts' against Trump, who is charged with inciting the siege of the Capitol to overturn the election he lost to Joe Biden

State data shows disproportionate inoculation figures in state and Los Angeles county, nation’s most populousCalifornia released figures on Monday showing the lopsided distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to date, with Black and Latino residents in the state being inoculated at significantly lower rates than other groups.Latinos have received 15% of nearly 5m Covid-19 vaccine doses that have been administered in the state so far, according to the data, half the rate of white residents though Latinos make up the bulk of infections and deaths. Black residents have received 2.7% of the doses despite making up 6% of the state’s population. Continue reading...

Lawyer said in 1993 Trump would be prohibited from living there if town allowed him to convert property from a residence to a club

Tessica Brown has gained a captive audience on TikTok and Instagram after mistakenly using super-strength adhesive on her hair“Stiff where?” Tessica Brown asked TikTok, one week ago, before the world was aware of her struggle. “My hair,” she finished.And stiff it has been, for more than a month now, as Brown continues battling against what so far seems to be an irreversible decision: mistakenly using Gorilla Glue to hold her hairstyle in place. Continue reading...

Coalition is calling on president to commute sentences of all 49 federal death row inmatesA coalition of leading US civil and human rights groups is calling on Joe Biden immediately to commute the sentences of all 49 federal death row inmates and reinstate a moratorium on executions carried out by the US government.Related: Virginia all but certain to become first southern state to abolish death penalty Continue reading...

The rich and powerful are using their influence to get early inoculations. And there’s nothing we can do about it

Crash that killed basketball star, his daughter, and seven others launched lawsuits and prompted state and federal legislationSafety investigators said on Tuesday a pilot flew through clouds last year in an apparent violation of federal standards and likely became disoriented just before the helicopter crashed, killing the basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others.Related: Trump impeachment trial to open with debate on whether it is constitutional – live updates Continue reading...

67 senators are needed for a guilty verdict and conviction after House charged Trump with ‘incitement of insurrection’The US Senate is set to formally begin its second impeachment trial of Donald Trump on Tuesday on charges that he helped incite a riot at the Capitol on 6 January. The formal article of impeachment is a charge of incitement of insurrection that the US House approved, with support from 10 Republicans, earlier this month.Trump is the first US president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the votes of 67 senators are needed for a guilty verdict and conviction. Trump abruptly hired a new legal team less than two weeks before his impeachment trial was set to begin. He parted ways with Butch Bowers, a well-known South Carolina lawyer who was set to lead his defense. There are reports the breakup was over strategy and legal fees. Trump’s new lawyers have filed a flimsy 14-page brief arguing Trump cannot be impeached because he has already left office and was not responsible for inciting violence at the Capitol. Trump told supporters they needed to “fight like hell” before the riot. Continue reading...

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news as investors cooled on European stocks and oil futures

Mike Lynch’s legal team tell court US is ‘not the global marshal of corporate world’ and case should be heard in UKLawyers acting for Mike Lynch, the British tech multimillionaire facing extradition on fraud charges, accused the US in a London court on Monday of exerting itself as “an overweening international police force”.Lynch, charged with 14 counts of conspiracy and fraud linked to the $11.6bn (£8.6bn) sale of his former company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard (HP) a decade ago, was beginning a legal fight against extradition to the US at Westminster magistrates court. Continue reading...

The Buccaneers had three Black coordinators and two female coaches as they masterminded a victory over the supposedly unstoppable Chiefs on SundayIt’s hardly a shocker that Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense put up 31 points, and Brady was largely mistake-free (minus a near Tyrann Mathieu pick) as his team rolled to victory. But if there was a Most Valuable Person award that honored the most crucial contributor to the Bucs’ win, it would go to a different TB: defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.The Buccaneers defense entered Raymond James Stadium on a mission. The chips on their shoulders were more like mountains. They were sick of hearing about the Chiefs’ weapons and prolific offense. The wounds of allowing Tyreek Hill to collect 203 yards in the first-quarter of their Week 12 matchup were still fresh. Continue reading...

For years the US has made domestic policy that has punished women for becoming mothers, and de-incentivized those who want to have as many children as they would like

Without a focus on racial equity, vaccine allocation will further divide the country and perpetuate health inequalitiesEvidence has emerged across the United States about how well-intended plans to encourage vaccinations and provide neighborhood access to communities of color have been usurped by more affluent white people who do not live there. For many communities of color, this form of vaccine gerrymandering unearths a collective memory of how the resources in their communities are often co-opted for white and corporate gain. For example, Prince George’s county, Maryland, home to the most affluent predominately Black area in the country, had to cancel appointments to purge people from vaccine sign-ups who do not live or work in the county.Related: Covid: US reporting fewer new cases but study warns variant may cause surge Continue reading...

Analysis: calls to scrap the requirement for 60 senators to back legislation are growing as Congress weighs sweeping protectionsAs states around the country advance a wave of measures that would make it harder to vote, Democrats in Washington are planning the most sweeping voting rights protections in decades. But to pass those protections, Democrats will have to overcome a huge barrier.Related: Fight to vote: civil rights are making a comeback at the DoJ – here’s why Continue reading...

Campaign ads were considered by Trump but proved ‘so far-fetched even he vetoed them’, according to AxiosDonald Trump vetoed a series of brutal attack ads in the 2020 election campaign, including one that targeted Joe Biden’s behavior towards women, because he was afraid of opening his own “can of worms”.Related: 'It felt like tentacles': the women who accuse Trump of sexual misconduct Continue reading...

House impeachment managers will open their prosecution of Trump for ‘incitement of insurrection’ on Tuesday. Plus, Ice has deported more than 20 babies and children

Senate trial begins on Tuesday for ex-president charged with ‘incitement of insurrection’ over Capitol riotDonald Trump’s unprecedented second impeachment trial begins on Tuesday 9 February in the Senate. He is the first US president to be impeached twice, and it is the first time an impeachment trial has been held against a former president. The trial will hear allegations that he committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” before leaving office. Continue reading...

On most days the largest Covid outbreaks have been in jails and prisons, as some states see the mortality rate seven times as high as in the general populationIn January, over 39,000 people detained across America became the first incarcerated recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine in the United States.But when the majority of the 2.3 million incarcerated Americans will receive the vaccine depends largely on where they are detained – in a federal prison, state prison or county jail – and the jurisdiction’s unique vaccine prioritization plans, many of which have been in flux over the last few months in no small part due to politicization of the issue from lawmakers and the public alike. Continue reading...

Democrats hope harrowing audio and video from Capitol attack will make plain what no legal argument might denyThe lethal Capitol invasion by Donald Trump supporters that is at the heart of the former president’s second impeachment trial happened more than a month ago. But Democrats leading the prosecution of Trump are counting on an element of surprise.Surprise, the impeachment prosecutors are calculating, because while most Americans understand the broad outlines of what happened during the 6 January attack on the Capitol, relatively few have come to grips with the shocking audio and video footage from that day – portraying a cauldron of violence, vandalism, bloodlust and fear. Continue reading...

Former Trump campaign chairman had faced mortgage fraud charges similar to federal case that put him in jailPaul Manafort, Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign chairman, will not face mortgage fraud charges in New York, after the state’s highest court declined to revisit lower court decisions that barred prosecuting Manafort on double jeopardy grounds. Continue reading...

On the eve of Donald Trump's impeachment trial on a charge of inciting the deadly US Capitol attack, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority and minority leaders, have laid out the framework for the trial. ’All parties have agreed to a structure that will ensure a fair and honest Senate impeachment trial of the former president,’ Schumer said. Each side will have 16 hours to present their arguments and the trial will break on Friday afternoon and resume on Sunday afternoon

State investigating complaint that followed Trump pressuring Georgia secretary of state to ‘find’ enough votes to beat BidenThe Georgia secretary of state’s office opened an investigation on Monday into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, according to a new report.Related: Trump impeachment: Schumer says agreement reached on rules for trial – live Continue reading...

Ice accused of sending ‘defenseless babies into the burning house’ as deportations of 72 carried out in apparent breach of Biden orderUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) deported at least 72 people to Haiti on Monday, including a two-month-old baby and 21 other children, in an apparent flagrant breach of the Biden administration’s orders only to remove suspected terrorists and potentially dangerous convicted felons.The children were deported to Haiti on Monday on two flights chartered by Ice from Laredo, Texas to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. The removals sent vulnerable infants back to Haiti as it is being roiled by major political unrest. Continue reading...

Despite having a well-developed genomic sequencing infrastructure, a national surveillance program was never enactedExperts who have spent the last year forecasting Covid-19 transmission across the US are now considering scenarios for the spread of new, more infectious strains of the coronavirus.At the same time, the US continues to lag in surveillance for coronavirus variants, despite having among the most well-developed genomic sequencing infrastructure in the world. Continue reading...

David Correia, 45, was charged alongside Lev Parnas in case over Fraud GuaranteeA Florida businessman whose fraud-busting business was exposed as a fraud itself was sentenced on Monday to a year and a day in prison, in a case in which prosecutors said Rudy Giuliani was hired as a consultant to attract investors.Related: House managers reject Trump impeachment brief: 'He betrayed the American people' – live Continue reading...

Wright, 67, the first member of Congress to die from Covid, was taken to hospital in Dallas two weeks ago after contracting virusThe Texas Republican congressman Ron Wright has died, after contracting the coronavirus.Related: Disease experts warn of surge in deaths from Covid variants as US lags in tracking Continue reading...

Montessori school in North Ogden originally agreed to parents’ exemption request but then reversed decision in wake of backlashSchool officials in northern Utah have come under fire for agreeing to a request by some parents to exempt their children from taking part in Black History Month learning.“We regret that after receiving requests, an opt-out form was sent out concerning activities planned during this month of celebration,” Micah Hirokawa, the director of the Maria Montessori Academy, a local charter school in North Ogden, said in a statement. Continue reading...

University of Alabama at Birmingham removes name of governor and presidential candidate over his support of racial segregationThe University of Alabama at Birmingham has removed the name of four-term governor and presidential candidate George C Wallace from a campus building, over his support of racial segregation.Related: Stop comparing Trump to the infamous racist George Wallace. It's unfair to Wallace | Samuel G Freedman Continue reading...

Putting the arms industry before conscience has allowed a humanitarian disaster to continue, but change could be comingIn a speech at the US state department last week, President Biden turned the war in Yemen from a forgotten crisis to front-page news. Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition, militarily and diplomatically backed by the US and UK in particular, has been involved in the conflict, which grew out of a failed political transition following the 2011 revolution.The war has killed more than 100,000 people, destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, subjected large swathes of the population to famine and generated the worst cholera outbreak since modern records began. All parties to the war have likely committed violations of international law. Continue reading...

Rolling live coverage of business, economics and financial markets as US electric carmaker promises to accept payments in cryptocurrency

Tampa Bay harried and hassled the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback throughout Sunday’s Super Bowl. By the end of the game he looked stunnedWith less than 14 minutes left in Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs were down three scores and facing fourth-and-nine from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 11-yard-line. There was no question that the Chiefs would forge ahead, but also no question that they would eventually hit pay dirt. These are the Chiefs, after all, and if they’ve proved anything during their repeat championship runs it’s that there is no scenario too bleak for them to escape as long as pro football’s Houdini is on their side.Related: No 7 and counting: the neverending, nagging brilliance of Tom Brady Continue reading...